Improvement in loom picking mechanisms



UNITED STATES PATENT Qrrrcn.

ENOOH P. TERREL, OF WEST LIBERTY, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, DAVID B. ALLEN, J. WILLIAM BROWN, AND LUOIAN A. \VILLIAMS, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT-IN LOOM PICKING MECHANISMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 123,952, dated February 20, 187' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ENOOH P. TERREL, of West Liberty, in the county of Logan and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Shuttle-Operating Mechanism for Looms, of which the following is a specification:

My invention is an improvement on the patent granted to me December 13, 1870, and numbered 110,171; and it consists of certain novel means of operating the picker-staff's, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a loom-frame to which my improvements are applied. Fig. 2 represents a plan or top view of the same. Fig. 3 represents an underside or bottom view of the sley-board detached; and Fig. 4 represents a detached sectional view of the cam and lever operating the picker-staffs.

The driving-shaft a of the loom is provided with the usual cranks I), through which and the arms 0, hinged to the uprights d of the sleyboard e, the latter receive its reciprocating movement. The cam-shaft f receives its motion from the driving-shaft a, through gearwhecls g, and carries, in the place of the usual cams which operate the picker-staff treadles, a single convex cylinder, 71, provided with a continuous oblique groove, 47, which groove, by means of a roller, j, fitted therein and pivoted on the inner side of a band, k, secured on the rear end of the inclined lever l and surrounding the cylinder h, gives a reciprocating movement to the lever as, the shaft f is revolved. The lever l is so pivoted on a stand, m, at a suitable distance forward of the shaft f that its forward end is near the floor, while its rear end is elevated to the shaft f, thereby allowing the use of a longer lever and a larger sweep for its forward end, which operates the lower ends of the picker-stafis, than could be obtained if the lever l were pivoted in a horizontal plane. To

the forward end of this lever l are pivoted rods n, which terminate outwardly in links 0, of a length a little exceeding that of the extent of the movement of the lower ends of the pickerst-atfs p, which are fitted into these links and are maintained in connection therewith by pins 0. It will be understood, now, that as the lever 1 is reciprocated from side to side through the grooved cylinder h the lower ends of the picker staffs are alternately drawn inwardly through the links 0, thereby alternately moving their upper ends to the outer end of the shuttle-boxes g. The picker-staffs are pivoted in the forked ends of arms 1", extending outwardly from and moving with the uprights d of the sley-board e. These uprights are pivoted, near their lower ends, to the side or cross pieces of the loom-frame, and have downward extensions d, from which extend rods .9, which pass through suitable openings in the lower portion ofthe pickerstafi's, and are surrounded by spiral springs s,which bear inwardly against the extensions (1 of the uprights d, and outwardly against the picker-statt's, and tending constantly to press the lower ends of the picker'sta fs outward. The upper ends of the picker-staffs are thus moved to the outer ends of the shuttle-boxes by means of the links 0, and receive their sudden inward motion to throw the shuttle from the springs s, which force their lower ends outwardly. But as the tendency of the springs s is to keep the lower ends of the picker-stafi's in constant contact with the outer ends of links 0, there would be no sudden operation of the picker-staffs through the springs 8 unless the picker-staffs could be held, while the springs are compressed, until the respective link has moved outwardly again to allow the lower end of the respective pickerstafi, when it is released, to fly out, and its upper end to fly in, with a sudden movement, and thus to produce the shuttle-throwing blow. I accomplish this retaining and releasing of the pickerstaffs automatically by means of two levers, t, pivoted, at t and 2?, on the under side of the sley-board 0, their inner ends being connected by a pivot or a ball-and-socket joint, and their outer ends being kept a suitable distancc over the openings in the bottom of the shuttle-boxes by means of a spring, a, secured to the under side of the sley-board, and bearing against one or both of the levers t. The outer ends of these levers are made narrower than their body by having a portion cut out, and are provided with a [)IOjGCillOllflt, so arranged that the upper ends of the pickerstafi's, in moving outwardly, will readily pass the projection u, but are held by it, and prevented from moving back inwardly, unless the respective lever t is pressed back to release it, and, as the picker-staffs move outwardly, are held and released alternately, and, as the movement of one lever, t, is instantly transmitted and a corresponding movement given to the other lever, it will be seen, by reference to Fi 3 of the drawing, in which the left picker-stalf is represented as held by the projection u of its lever I, that when the right picker-staff, in its outward movement, comes in contact with the curved inner edge of projection a, it will press the end of lever t in a direction at right angles to its own motion, which induces a corresponding movement of the outer end of the other lever t, which thereby is made to release its picker-staff, and allows it to throw the shuttle; the other picker-staff having at the same moment passed the projection 11 of the lever and being retained by it, thus rendering a striking of the shuttle against the picker-staff before the latter has reached the end of its outward movement, during a very rapid operation of the loom, utterly impossible. Thus the picker stafi's themselves, in their outward movement, release each other alternately for throwing the shuttle. To insure the certain retention of the picker-stafls, 1 may bevel that portion of them in and below the shuttle-boxes which comes into contact with the ends of levers t, and securing over said beveled portion a piece of metal, thereby rendering thecontiguous surfaces smooth and the parts stronger.

'lhe operation of my improved shuttle-operating mechanism is as follows: Motion is imparted, through any suitable means, to shaft to, and transmitted, through the gears g, to the shaftf. The cylinder h, revolving with this shait, operates the lever 1, thereby drawing the lower end of one pickerstaff inwardly through link 0, compressing itssprings s, and forcing the upper end of said picker-staff outwardly. The outer end of the other pickerstafi is already held by the projection to of its lower end, and is thereby held inwardly against its compressed springss. The movement ofthe lever l moves the link 0 of this picker-staff outwardly away from its lower end, thereby removing all possible obstruction, or the only thing which could prevent the free outward movement of the lower end of this picker-staff when its upper end is released. This release does now take place by reason of the upper end ofthe opposite picker-staff pressingagainst the curved rear of projection u ofits lever t, which forces the ends of both these levers t outward- 1y. The first picker-stalf being thus released from its projection 14, its springs s is free to exert all its power against its lower end, thereby forcing the upper end, with the necessary sudden shock, inwardly, and thus throwing the shuttle across the sley-board. At this moment the lower end of this picker-staif is again bearing against the outer end of the link 0, while the upper end of the opposite picker-staff has passed and is retained outwardly by the projection a of its lever t. And thus the operation continues on alternate sides of the loom.

In my former patent each picker-staff is operated from a separate lever and cam, and each lever, after forcing outward the upper end of its picker-stafi', returned to its normal position with a jerk, which not only necessitated the very heavy construction of the parts, to enable them to withstand the shock, but rendered the operation a very jarring and noisy one. By my present construction the single lever, operated from a single grooved cylinder, moves evenly and without any sudden motion, thereby avoiding any jarring or noise. The springs s, op erating by their expansion the picker-staffs, throw the shuttle alternately from side to side, and, as the lower ends of the picker-starts, at the moment of this operation, are entirely free, each picker-staff is entirely independent of the other, and their operation will be accomplished by the same amount of expansive force of the springs 8, no matter whether the loom is run at the rate of twenty or two hundred picks a minute, thus rendering the shuttle operation entirely independent from the motive-power of the loom; and as the picker-stati's themselves effect their alternate release from the catch-levers if under the sleyboard, and one picker-staff is released to throw the shuttle only at the moment when the other picker-staff has reached its furthest outward movement, no speed of the loom can cause the shuttle to strike the opposite picker-statt on its outward movement, and before said movement is accomplished.

But very slight alterations, if any, need be made in any common loom; and as all the additional parts are exceedingly simple, its cost will be but trifling.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination of the single central obliquely-gnooved cylinder h with the single lever l, links 0, band It, roller j, and rods n, or their equivalents, for the alternate outward operation only of the picker-stafi's, essentially as described.

2. in combination with the springs s, I claim the links 0 on the rods 11. and the lever Z, all arranged to operate essentially as described, so that the pickerstaifs are alternately drawn inwardly, as set forth.

3. The jointed spring-levers t, in combination with the picker-staff, so arranged under the sley-boards that the picker-staffs themselves, which are retained in an outward position by said levers, automatically release each other alternately at the proper moment, essentially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand to the above specification of my improvement in looms this 30th day of November, 1871, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses: ENOGH. P. TERREL.

R. N. JORDAN, D. B. ALLEN. 

